Study on the effectiveness of the virtual simulator 3D-SC1®, for combat lifesaving

In October 2017, the results of the study carried out on the virtual simulator* 3D-SC1® were published. This lifesaving training during interventions in combat has been deployed in all French military hospitals and all the French Armed Forces. The performances of the users were able to be measured to evaluate the effectiveness of it.

SophieWednesday 28.03.2018, 10:57

In October 2017, the results of the study carried out on the virtual simulator* 3D-SC1® were published. This lifesaving training during interventions in combat has been deployed in all French military hospitals and all the French Armed Forces. The performances of the users were able to be measured to evaluate the effectiveness of it.

Context

Starting with the observation that 90% of casualties in combat die before reaching a medical treatment facility, the French Military Health Service (Service de Santé des Armées) has reformed its training programme “Sauvetage au Combat” (SC) or Combat Lifesaving, for soldiers. In fact, 25% of deaths in combat would be preventable, notably by an effective management of haemorrhages and other emergency lifesaving interventions on the battlefield.

Hands-on simulations represent a large part of this programme. As 80,000 soldiers must be trained annually, this programme is complex and costly. So, the French Military Health Service decided to develop in collaboration with Medusims the virtual simulator 3D-SC1®, in order to incorporate it into the Combat Lifesaving pedagogical program.

Implementation of the study

Making the most of this large deployment, a team of doctors and researchers implemented a prospective, randomised study to evaluate the educational impact of 3D-SC1®. Two hypotheses have been highlighted. The first stipulates that additional training with 3D-SC1® improves performances for combat lifesaving interventions. The second proposes that training with 3D-SC1® improves these performances to a greater extent than the current tool used, which is a pedagogical DVD.

96 subjects were randomly divided into a control group (initial and additional training with the DVD) and an intervention group (initial and additional training with the Serious Game 3D-SC1®). Two measures of performance were carried out: after the initial training and after the additional training.

Results

After the initial training, the performance scores did not show any significant difference between the two groups. After the additional training, an improvement in performances was observed in the two groups with scores significantly superior in the intervention group with 3D-SC1®.

Even if these performance scores were higher, the study was not able to show a significant statistical difference concerning the adjusted mean deviation between the impacts of the training by DVD and by 3D-SC1®. However, the study confirms that this virtual simulator has the potential to be an effective, pertinent and innovative tool for the additional combat lifesaving training.

Discussion

Pilot studies were recommending the integration of sixty participants in each group to detect a significant difference. Studies on a larger scale would therefore be pertinent to confirm these results and explore the impact of 3D-SC1® on the performance and retention of skills.

Furthermore, the access to the simulator was strictly controlled in this study. However, it can be accessed on personal computers and tablets, allowing a “anytime, anywhere” training. With this flexibility of use, Serious Game allows the training of a large population frequently.

Other advantages of virtual medical simulation have also been highlighted. The debriefing allows the trainers to analyse the successes and failures of individuals and collectives. Long term, the analysis of this data would enable the development of personalised pedagogical courses.